Llys Glan y Mor Retirement Housing, Carmarthen

Operating as the social landlords of the Llys Glan Y Mor Retirement Home in Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire County Council were seeking a means to enable the safe and secure storage of mobility scooters used by their residents. Built in 1991, the retirement home provides 28 single bedroom flats for residents, alongside a lounge, laundry room, lift services, and guest facilities.

Providing safe and secure mobility scooter storage is a rising consideration across the UK’s social housing sector. Acting as the power component of mobility scooters, lithium-ion batteries can enter a process called thermal runway during failure conditions, resulting in a rapid increase of heat and the release of flammable gas, creating significant volumes of toxic smoke in just a few minutes upon ignition. Recommendations by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) state that mobility scooters should be stored in a fire-resistant room if charged internally, while a safe and secure external facility should be provided in the event that this isn’t possible.

With internal space at the retirement home already allocated to existing amenities, an external storage facility was the most appropriate solution for ensuring compliance with fire safety guidance. Working closely with Carmarthenshire County Council, metroSTOR provided the design and install of 2no. metroSTOR PSM Mobility Scooter Charging Units. Offering a capacity for up to 3no. Class 1, 2, or 3 mobility scooters per unit; complete with weather protection and integral charging points, the metroSTOR PSM has been developed in response to statutory fire safety guidance. 

metroSTOR helped to identify a suitable location for the storage units, with installation made in an adjoining position close to the retirement home’s main entrance to provide ease of use and ensure that groundworks and installation of electrical connections could be made and run from a distribution board to the storage units.

However, with the units within 6 metres of the nearest residential building, Firenze Walnut Brown FR cladding with a non-combustible fire protection board liner ensured the units provide high levels of fire protection without compromising on design coordination with surrounding buildings. A galvanised fire-resistant finish to the full height compartment dividers of the unit additionally ensured full compliance with recommendations by the NFCC. 

Storing mobility scooters externally in a securely designed charging facility that meets fire safety guidance ensures that the residents of Llys Glan Y Mor Retirement Home are protected from the dangers of faulty lithium ion batteries. In turn, providing a solution to the risks posed by the internal storage of mobility scooters in communal areas.